Tower Hamlets Shared Lives Scheme

On this page

• Overview
• Shared direction and culture
• Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders
• Freedom to speak up
• Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion
• Governance, management and sustainability
• Partnerships and communities
• Learning, improvement and innovation

Well-led – this means we looked for evidence that service leadership, management and governance assured high-quality, person-centred care; supported learning and innovation; and promoted an open, fair culture.

This is the first assessment for this service since it was registered in June 2019. This key question has been rated good. This meant the service was consistently managed and well-led. Leaders and the culture they created promoted high-quality, person-centred care.

This service scored 82 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The provider demonstrated a highly effective shared vision, strategy and culture that was deeply embedded across the service. This was not only based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, but also actively promoted diversity, inclusion and meaningful engagement with people and their communities. The shared lives team and shared lives carer were unwavering in their dedication to delivering safe, person-centred care, with a clear focus on continuous improvement. All staff were regularly reminded of their responsibilities and empowered to take ownership of their roles to enhance people’s lives. Everyone involved with the service spoke with genuine passion and pride, which reflected a culture that inspired commitment and excellence. All staff consistently described the work environment as inclusive, supportive and motivating, and how valued they felt in their roles. This positive culture was not only sustained but actively nurtured by leadership. This resulted in positive outcomes for people who were supported by a dedicated staff team. Comments included, “[Registered manager] is a great role model for the service and shows us how we need to work” and “They are very caring, transparent and open to us as team. I feel if I shared a different opinion, I’d still be valued and they would listen and think if things can be done differently.”

The shared lives carer praised the communication and relationship they had developed with the shared lives team, highlighting the support they received had been invaluable and resulted in positive outcomes. They added, “Shared lives has enabled [person] to be able to access a lot of professional services that have helped them get as far as they have. The key focus is all about our wellbeing.” The registered manager said, “Shared lives is about giving people the best life, the best care and the best support. It is based on the concept of family and family life. We give a sense of belonging to people, my staff and the shared lives carers."

The provider had inclusive leaders at all levels who understood the context in which they delivered care, treatment and support and embodied the culture and values of their workforce and organisation. Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. They did so with integrity, openness and honesty. The registered manager and shared lives staff provided inclusive and person-centred support, with everyone involved in the service given opportunities to contribute, feel listened to and valued. The shared lives carer told us the shared lives team were always available, including having access to healthcare professionals when needed. For example, the shared lives carer told us about a distressing incident during a hospital admission. They said due to the support from the shared lives service, a health professional was able to intervene to help provide additional support to ensure the person’s needs were fully met. The shared lives carer added, “I know with the support from the shared lives team, we will get the support they need.”

Health and social care professionals were positive about the experience of working with the shared lives team. Comments included, “They really are doing their best and we can see they have great communication with other agencies” and “Their joint working approach is incredibly helpful. They are very responsive and it has worked well for [person]. The shared lives team are all qualified social workers, so they have the understanding and the experience. I think it works really well and it is so good we can access each other as an integrated team."

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. All staff told us they had regular contact with the registered manager, which gave them plenty of opportunities to give feedback or raise any concerns. Although staff told us they had not had reason to raise any concerns or issues, they were confident they could do this and speak up if needed, without fear of reprisal. The shared lives carer said, “It is such a supportive culture. It has given me the confidence that if something is not working, I can tell them."

The provider valued diversity in their workforce. They worked towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who worked for them. The registered manager had regular engagement with their workforce to make sure they felt valued and listened to. All staff spoke positively about the inclusive working environment and were treated fairly and equitably. The registered manager had a good understanding of their responsibilities to ensure staff were respected and not subject to harassment or discrimination. Comments included, “They make me feel valued. They tell me what a good job I’m doing and thank me for all of the hard work” and “[Registered manager] celebrates us, the carers and all the people we work with. It is important to look out for all of us and this helps us to get the best out of each other.” The registered manager added, “We don’t exclude anybody here. We make sure all staff and carers go on mandatory equalities training. This is discussed during their assessment, so we make sure we all have an awareness of people’s human rights."

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to manage and deliver good quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. They acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate.

There were robust governance systems in place to ensure people received a consistent level of care. This included regular monitoring checks, meetings and a detailed annual review. This supported the provider’s structured audit process, which included checks on health and safety, financial transaction records and medicines administration. Findings from audits were used constructively to recognise good practice and identify areas for staff improvement. This reflective approach helped maintain high standards and supported staff development. The shared lives carer confirmed this and added, “I have been supported really well with this. They made it very clear what my responsibilities were and I’ve worked very closely with them about how to complete and submit the necessary records. It has been very helpful.” A health and social care professional said, “We have a good working partnership with the shared lives team. They are always visiting, doing checks, asking for our feedback and about [person’s] progress. They share all the necessary assessments, so we are aware of any changes.”

In addition to this, the provider completed an internal audit in October 2024 across the whole service. Positive feedback was highlighted in the report, along with areas of improvement that had been identified. These actions had been followed up as part of the action plan by the time of the inspection. This included staff training requirements, monitoring processes and updated policies and procedures. This approach reflected strong leadership and a clear focus on best practice.

The provider demonstrated exceptional commitment to collaboration and partnership working, resulting in services that operated seamlessly for people. Information and learning were shared proactively with partners, not only to improve care but also to strengthen community awareness and engagement. The shared lives team regularly sought out opportunities to work with other local authorities, voluntary organisations, and community groups, going beyond routine collaboration to champion the shared lives model. Shared lives carers were actively involved in this work, regularly speaking at events to share their lived experiences and promote the service. This level of involvement empowered shared lives carers and helped build a strong, inclusive community around the service. The shared lives carer confirmed this and added, “'It is really important to understand and try to raise the awareness of shared lives and what our options are. There are events with guest speakers, and it highlights the help we can get and to share best practice.”

The provider also covered membership fees for all the shared lives carers to the national organisation Shared Lives Plus. They are a UK membership charity for people living and working within shared lives. They provide peer support, advice and guidance to providers and shared lives carers to ensure consistency and best practice across shared lives schemes. The registered manager added, “We cover this as carers can seek independent advice, further support resources and guidance around self-employment.” The registered manager told us about their upcoming recruitment drive, as from an equality monitoring exercise, they identified they did not have any carers from a specific ethnic background, which was densely populated within the local community. They added, “We will be doing some work locally to raise the awareness of shared lives within the community and propose to target faith based groups."

The provider focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people. They actively contributed to safe, effective practice and research. The shared lives carer confirmed regular home monitoring visits were completed to ensure the person’s needs were being met and if they needed any further support to achieve this. These visits helped to identify if any areas for improvement could be made. The shared lives carer confirmed they received constructive feedback from these visits. They added, “If I forget something, they discuss it with me, but in a non-condescending way. They also listen to me as well if I have any suggestions about making improvements to the service. I've learnt a lot working for them and how to do things better. I have confidence knowing that what I do will be thoroughly checked.”

The shared lives staff team told us they were encouraged to think of different ways they could engage people and their shared lives carers. We saw the provider had recently produced a video documenting the life of the person, which not only helped to give the person a voice but helped to raise awareness about the positive benefits of a shared lives placement. A shared lives staff member added, “[Registered manager] is very strength focused and is keen for us to be creative. They value my input as a social worker."